Are there porn addiction side effects?

Are there porn addiction side effects? If so, what are they? Can they negatively affect my life? Maybe you’re a habitual porn user who doesn’t like to use the word “addiction.” Everyone looks at porn, right? It’s everywhere and sometimes nearly impossible to avoid. But unfortunately, there are side effects to porn addiction, and they can be more insidious than you might think.

That’s right. Erectile dysfunction is one of the major porn addiction side effects.

Yep, you read that right. An addiction to porn can make you feel like you’re picking a lock with a wet herring. This is an unfortunate phenomenon that particularly affects younger men. “One survey of 28,000 Italian men found that ‘excessive consumption’ of porn, starting at age 14, and daily consumption in their early to mid-20s, desensitized men to even the most violent images. According to the head of the Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine, this can cause male sexual dysfunction by lowering libido and eventually leading to an inability to get an erection. ‘Due to the pornography available on the Internet, we are finding out that this type of sex dysfunction is a real entity’; said David B. Samadi, MD, chairman of the urology department and chief of robotic surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. ‘It is a problem in the brain, not the penis.’ To some extent, porn-related ED can affect anyone, but Dr. Samadi said he sees it mainly in younger men who are in their teens and early 20s.” –Everydayhealth.com

Porn addiction often leads to damaged relationships.

One of the strongest signs of addiction includes “continuing to view porn despite negative consequences, such as broken relationships or a job loss. Relationships, where one partner is addicted to porn, can lead to a reduction in intimacy, emotional distance, reduced sexual satisfaction, and an overall poorer quality of relationship.” –Project Know. Porn addiction often leads to secrecy, which drives a wedge between partners. Bottom line: a porn addiction is never healthy for your relationship.

It is an escalating behavior.

When a person is addicted to porn, their brain feasts on the dopamine output of constant novelty. Over time, this means that the brain requires more and more novelty to get the same level of “high.” This can lead addicts down an internet rabbit hole of dangerous or damaging pornographic imagery, and/or porn that doesn’t match their sexual orientation. These behaviors can leave addicts feeling appalled with themselves or ashamed, and even confused about their own sexuality.

Is there any good news?

Yes! Porn addiction can be overcome, and the brain can actually be rerouted and healed from the damage of addiction. Want help? Start here. Start now.